CLIA is the the Centers for Disease Control’s Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments.

KMGH checked with the CDC to see if there are any regulations or recommendations regarding the size of hair samples taken for drug tests and whether the entire hair sample has to come from the same area on the head.

The CDC hasn’t gotten back.

KMGH also reached out to BI Incorporated to see if they have any policies regarding the hair follicle drug tests.

In an email reply, a spokeswoman said she would look into it and get back.

Several other testing labs have posted pictures on their websites depicting the hair sample process.

One shows a technician snipping a narrow, horizontal band of hair from the back of a client’s head.

Another shows a technician cutting a small, pencil thin, circular patch from the client’s head.

A technician at one firm told KMGH “A bald spot is a no-no.”

She said they’ll snip hair from different parts of the head to get what they need without leaving a bald spot.

Christiansen said someone should be regulating the labs to protect people from overzealous lab techs.